Federal opposition leaders wasted no time responding to the Conservative budget Thursday.

It’s a “shell-game con job,” NDP leader Thomas Mulcair said just minutes after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty released the document to the public. “What we have here is an austerity budget…. You cannot austere your way out of a crisis,” he said.

Green party Leader Elizabeth May summed her opinion up succinctly: This is the “fudge-it budget,” she said.

“The propaganda machine is going to be working overtime because they’ve repackaged and put together some old programs and given them new names,” Bob Rae, the interim Liberal leader, said outside the House chambers.

“…It’s not fundamentally an economic document as it is simply an exercise in politics and propaganda.”

OTTAWA — The Conservative government tabled a budget Thursday that relies largely on projected growth instead of new cuts to erase the deficit and balance the budget by the 2015 election.

The budget offers few dramatic movements, increasing total expenses by less than 1%, “the smallest increase in discretionary spending in nearly 20 years,” according to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

It closes tax loopholes and eliminates tariffs on baby clothes and sports gear.

“We will not back away from our steadfast commitment to fiscal responsibility,” Mr. Flaherty said in his budget speech. “We will not balance the budget on the backs of hardworking Canadian families or those in need. But we will balance the budget. And we will do it in 2015.”

Many of the measures had been leaked beforehand: revamped skills training, tax breaks for manufacturers, and a new $47-billion for infrastructure.

“[Prime Minister Stephen] Harper is famous for saying Canadians don’t much like surprises, and there are no surprises in this budget,” said Gregory Thomas, the federal and Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “This is a government that’s pretty confident that things are on the right track — they don’t want to upset the apple cart, they’re making incremental changes. You can see that the real challenge is that there is nobody out there with a welding ticket.”

Skills training is the centrepiece of the budget, the government promising to “transform” skills development with the Canada Job Grant, providing $15,000 or more to train welders, sheet metal fitters, plumbers — jobs that are crucial to a manufacturing sector the Harper government is trying to fuel.

Focus on training aboriginals to close skills gap, and introduction of a workfare-type approach for aboriginals.

Under Mr. Flaherty’s plan, roads, bridges and other community infrastructure will get a $53-billion investment, with $47-billion of that new money coming in over 10 years. Municipalities will see road improvement projects, public transit and recreational facilities, and First Nations communities will see $155-million for roads, bridges, energy systems and other infrastructure on reserves.

As well, another refill of an existing pot of cash: The Renewed P3 Canada Fund that hands $1.25-billion to innovations in public infrastructure.

In a press conference, Mr. Flaherty called the $1.4 billion of tax relief for Canada’s manufacturing sector over the next two years one of the most “expensive” cash injections in the budget. The program lets manufacturers and processing companies buy machinery that will help boost a sector hit particularly hard in the global recession.

“If you’re buying machinery, no matter what machinery no matter where in the country, it’ll cost you less to buy that machinery and you’re going to be strongly encouraged to buy it right away and get it operational,” Mr. Thomas said.

Canadians worried about the growing Canadian-U.S. price gap got a proposal to eliminate tariffs on baby clothes, sports and athletic equipment, which includes ice skates (once charged 18% at the border and will now be free after April 1), hockey equipment, skis, snowboards, golf clubs and other fitness equipment.

“We’re going to see what happens to the prices and we’ll see if we actually see a reduction in prices,” Mr. Flaherty said. “This is a test case.”

Tax credits for adoptive parents may also see a boost, the existing Adoption Expense Tax Credit extended to cover more adoption-related expenses.

Mr. Thomas said he would like to have seen more cuts.

“The government spends money in such wasteful and unproductive ways,” Mr. Thomas said, adding that the average federal government employee takes 18.5 sick days a year. “The government does spend, it [spends on] programs, the programs are rolled out by unionized employees who are off work at least 20% of the time and cost over $100,000 each to employ. What are the chances that you can roll out anything productive with a work force that gets paid so much for working so little?”

The budget did, however, allude to ways the government may reform costs in terms of future benefits and wages to public sector employees.

MORE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS: The Post‘s Scott Stinson combs through the 2013 federal budget so you don’t have to.

Cheaper snowboards, dude
The government is eliminating import tariffs on sporting goods — as first reported on Wednesday in the National Post — and baby clothes. This should mean reduced prices on everything from hockey equipment to skis to golf clubs, although it is unclear at what point an item of clothing ceases to be for a “baby” and is instead for a toddler. Eighteen months of age? 12 months? Anyway, it’s further evidence that the Harper government is targeting the suburban-arena-going-parent demographic. Particularly the fertile ones.

But can they leap buildings in a single bound?
To encourage increased charitable donations, Ottawa has created the First-Time Donor’s Super Credit — which supplements existing charitable tax credits to give new donors an additional 25% tax credit, up to $1,000 of donations. Now you can be a SUPER DONOR.

Take this job and do it
Details are fuzzy, but the government promises to follow up on already announced plans to reform the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to ensure Canadians are considered for available jobs. Basically, it’s intended to ensure employers try harder to recruit unemployed Canadians before throwing up their hands and applying to bring someone from abroad to do it.

Hide the jewels under the mattress
The cost to maintain a safety-deposit box has been until now tax-deductible because it was deemed part of the cost of earning a living. No longer. Now it’s just a box you use for stashing stuff, so you can’t deduct it. We’re guessing that most people who have large amounts of money in a safety-deposit box don’t tell the government about it anyway.

Subsidies for all
There’s no better example of how the country’s economic balance has shifted in recent years than the fact that the government is renewing the funding of the federal economic development agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) for five years at a cost of $920-million. Pork-barreling: not just for the small provinces anymore.

Take that, David Suzuki
The budget proposes $57.5-million over five years to support the country’s aquaculture — fish farm — sector. We know of certain environmentalists who will not be pleased.

A bridge not too far
Renewing an old pledge, the government says it will spend up to $124.9-million to build a temporary bridge-causeway over the St. Lawrence during the construction of the permanent, new bridge that will replace Montreal’s Champlain Bridge. The new structure does not have a name, though one suspects Economic Action Plan Bridge will be on the short list.

Still on the rails
Though VIA Rail was thought to be lined up for a whacking, the budget only says it will get $54.7-million to support operations and investment and $58.2-million to maintain access to remote communities. The Harper government offers no guarantee the trains will run on time.

Sprucing up the office
The budget promises “further support” for the rehabilitation of Ottawa’s Parliament Buildings, though it oddly does not attach a price tag to the endeavour. So you can assume that will cost a lot.

Forecasting a windfall
Environment Canada will receive $248-million over five years for new equipment. “Canadians will benefit from more timely, accurate forecasts,” the budget says. Doesn’t everyone just check the weather on their phones now?

Crackdown on spittoons
The budget will increase the excise duty that applies to “manufactured” tobacco, which includes that used in roll-your-own, and in chewing tobacco. It’s a jump of 84%. Bad news for old-timey gunslingers.

Beyond the igloo
Nunavut will receive $100-million over two years to build 250 housing units. That’s $400,000 per unit. Swanky.

In memoriam
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France will receive $5-million for the construction of a permanent visitors’ centre. The timing is expected to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014.

Bieber not included
“Economic Action Plan 2013 proposes funding of $8-million to help support the restoration and revitalization of Massey Hall.” Why the downtown Toronto venue and not others? Not sure. EAP 2013 supports smooth jazz!

A gentle nudge
The Conservatives have avoided trampling on the Quebec asbestos industry, but have earmarked $50-million to support the “economic diversification” of the two towns that were reliant on it. They might want to start by renaming the town called Asbestos.

And justice for all
The budget promises $36-million for First Nations and Inuit policing, which includes $3-million for 10 additional police officers “to focus on contraband tobacco.” Hard to imagine 10 more bodies will be enough to tip the scales on that battle.

But he still gets the nice house
Purchases made for the use of the Governor General have been exempt from GST and HST, although the G-G voluntarily pays the sales taxes on his personal purchases. Beginning in June, the exemption will end, but the taxes can still be recovered “in the same way as federal departments.” So it’s a wash for the Queen.- Scott Stinson, National Post